About the Artwork
Coventry’s works engage with the utopian ideals of Modernism which have been physically manifested in architecture, design, town planning and the fine arts since the beginning of this century. His resulting works conflate the aspirations of a cultural, political and social past with the realities of the present day. His sculpture explores the wasted parts of town; taking the junk of urban life and casting it in bronze. Bench is the skeleton of a park bench, and was one of the objects Coventry encountered during years of wandering through London thinking about art.
Year: 1996
Copyright the artist; Courtesy of Pace Gallery, London. Photo © Robb Mcrae
Material
bronze
Dimensions
75 x 190 x 45 cm
Artist Biography
Keith Coventry
Coventry was born in Burnley in 1958 and lives and works in London. He attended Brighton Polytechnic (1978– 81) and Chelsea School of Art London (1981– 82). One of the original ‘Young British Artists’ (YBAs), he was featured in the seminal exhibition Sensation at the Royal Academy of Arts, London, in 1997.
His work has been exhibited widely in the UK and Europe and is included in collections worldwide, including the British Council, Tate Modern, Arts Council of England, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis and The Museum of Modern Art, New York. In 2010 Coventry was awarded the John Moores Painting Prize.